Heroes and Heartbreak: Choosing A Favorite Driver Hasn't Been Easy

The No. 6 UPS Ford of David Ragan and the No. 17 Ford of Matt Kenseth
on pit road prior to Coca Cola 600 qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In any sport, every fan almost always finds a team to cheer for above all others. It’s no different in NASCAR. Some fans choose a favorite driver simply because his car has their favorite number on the side. Others choose a driver based on their sponsor. A few choose their favorite driver because he is from the same state they are from. For me, it was none of the above.

 

As a kid, I spent many weekends at my grandparents’ house. They had a television, but it did well to pick up the local TV stations. Luckily, it did pick up the local FOX and ABC affiliates, which meant most Sundays and the occasional Saturday were spent sitting in the living room of my grandparents’ trailer watching NASCAR races. That was in the late 90’s.

 

In 1999, just before my 9th birthday that June, I became a Dale Earnhardt fan simply because he was my grandfather Frank’s favorite driver. I cheered for Earnhardt every race I watched. Then, in 2001, the entire community was rocked to the core as Dale Earnhardt tragically passed away in the Daytona 500. NASCAR lost a legend, and I lost my favorite driver. My grandfather stopped watching NASCAR after that fateful day, and so did I.

 

For over a year, I didn’t watch a single race. Then, in October 2002, something compelled me to turn the race on. I honestly don’t remember much about the race other than it was at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Jamie McMurray was filling in for Sterling Marlin. McMurray earned his first career win that night and surprised a lot of people. The excitement I felt that night watching McMurray win made me realize something about myself. NASCAR was my passion. And I had truly missed watching the races.

Now that I was a NASCAR fan again I was left with the problem of finding a new favorite driver. Of course, like so many of Dale Earnhardt’s fans, I chose his son as my favorite driver. Again, I was just twelve, and I really didn’t know too many other drivers so I went with who I knew.

So, how did I go from being a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fan to becoming a die-hard fan of all of the Roush Fenway Racing drivers? It’s kind of a funny and unique story.

In 2003, I began to slowly understand more about NASCAR. Other drivers began to catch my attention, but Dale Earnhardt, Jr. still remained my favorite driver. In June 2003, I turned thirteen and received the NASCAR Thunder 2003 game for my Playstation. I spent hours playing that game (always playing as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. of course). Well, for a while, I did okay on the game, then I got to the point where I just plain sucked at it.

The weekend after my 13th birthday, I was watching the race, and the announcers started talking about Matt Kenseth. I knew nothing about Kenseth or Roush Fenway Racing. At that point, I couldn’t have even told you who the team owner was or who Kenseth’s teammates were.

Since the commentators were talking about how good Kenseth was, I decided to play as him on the game after that race. Lo and behold, I won in the game that night playing as Kenseth. And that’s how I chose Kenseth as my favorite driver. Well, that’s part of the reason. That black and yellow DeWALT paint scheme was just plain awesome to me so it kind of helped me change my mind about who my favorite driver was. When the 2003 season ended with Matt Kenseth hoisting up the championship trophy at Homestead-Miami Speedway, I realized I had actually made a great choice in choosing my favorite driver.

Of course, once I chose Kenseth as my favorite driver, his teammates became my top drivers as well. None ever threatened to take that top spot on my list from Kenseth until 2006 when I became a fan of David Ragan after his 2nd career Cup Series start. That race might have been a bit of a disaster for Ragan, but it's the race that caused me to become a fan of him. Ever since, he's had the top spot among the drivers I cheer for.

Well, that’s the Cup Series side of things. What about the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series? Hold on to your hats folks…this one is a crazy story too!

First, I’ll start with the Camping World Truck Series. I actually never really paid much attention to the series until 2008 when Colin Braun began driving the No. 6 Con-Way Freight Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. It was his rookie year. As that season progressed, I couldn’t deny that Braun had become my favorite in the series. When he began his second season, I knew a win was in his near future. Sure enough, that June at Michigan, Braun won, earning Roush Fenway Racing’s 50th win at that track. He went on to finish 5th in the standings. Then it was announced he would run the entire Nationwide Series schedule in 2010 for Roush Fenway Racing, driving the No. 16 Ford. You better believe I was ecstatic about that!

However, that left me with a problem. Since Braun was moving up to the Nationwide Series, I no longer had a driver to pull for in the Truck Series. And to add to it, Roush had no drivers in the series anymore. So who was I to pull for?

As it turns out, another driver had already been catching my eye. That driver? Johnny Sauter. Don’t ask me why. He was a rookie in 2009 and was such an underdog. Truth be told, I have a major soft spot for underdogs! However, I found it ironic that Sauter would even become my favorite Truck Series driver since I had loathed him in previous years when he ran in the Cup Series. Still, he became my favorite driver in that series. Now his ThorSport Racing teammate Matt Crafton has become a close second. Of course, I also pull for James Buescher and Nelson Piquet, Jr. as well.

Switching gears to the Nationwide Series…I kind of had conflicting emotions as the start of the 2010 season approached. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. had come on board to drive the No. 6 Ford, replacing David Ragan. At first, I hated the idea of Stenhouse, Jr. being in that car. Call me crazy, but I honestly couldn’t get past the fact I still saw it as Ragan’s car. With Colin Braun in the No. 16, Roush Fenway Racing had two rookies ready to contend for top rookie honors and possibly the championship. Braun still trumped Stenhouse, Jr. as my favorite driver though. The season started with both Stenhouse, Jr. and Braun crashing at Daytona. Heartbreaking not only for them, but for me as well. Unfortunately, that race pretty much set the tone for most of the season for both of them.

Braun remained my favorite Nationwide Series driver until the race weekend at Bristol that March. I met Stenhouse, Jr. that Friday at Race Night. I watched him smile and talk to every fan that was in line for his autograph signing. There was a little boy in front of me who probably was no older than seven years old. The boy turned to me, tugged my shirt, and smiled the biggest smile before he said excitedly “It’s Ricky! He’s my favorite driver!” When the boy finally got to where Stenhouse, Jr. was, he was jumping up and down from excitement. The boy’s dad asked if he could take a picture of the two of them together. Stenhouse, Jr., of course, said yes. The boy stood in front of the table, smiling as his dad aimed the camera their way. And that’s when it happened…the moment when Stenhouse, Jr. won me over. He told the man to wait, leaned over the table, and actually picked the boy up to sit him on the table. He draped his arm over the boy’s shoulders for the picture. The boy’s face lit up and after the picture, he looked at me and said matter-of-factly, "That's why he's my favorite!" Then he hopped down from the table, running off and yelling to the world “I just met Ricky!” as his dad tried to catch up to him.

The No. 6 RickyVsTrevor.com Ford of Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. on
pit road at Nashville Superspeedway.

From that moment on, Stenhouse, Jr. has been my favorite Nationwide Series driver. He ended the year as the Raybestos Rookie of the Year, and I’ve stuck with him since. It had finally proved what I had known all along--he is a very talented driver

However, in 2010, I also experienced unbelievable heartbreak when it came to the Nationwide Series. When I received word that Jack Roush was releasing Colin Braun from the team, I was floored. Sure, Braun hadn’t really been that stellar, and for that matter, Stenhouse, Jr. hadn’t either. It deeply upset me to see Braun go. Of course, I wasn't the only Braun fan who was upset by that. His replacement was none other than Trevor Bayne. While some Braun fans resented Bayne for taking over the No. 16 Ford, I was content with him taking over that car. It didn't mean I was exactly happy about it, but I realized it wasn't his fault Braun was out of a ride. Bayne has now become a close second to Stenhouse, Jr. when it comes to my favorite Nationwide Series driver.

As for Braun, I am still a fan of his. He'll always hold a special place in my heart, and I miss seeing him on the track. He had a lot of potential in NASCAR, and I hate that one bad season and lack of sponsorship caused an abrupt end to that. I hope to see him back in NASCAR soon.

So there you have it. From tragedy to triumph and everything in between, I have had quite a time in choosing a favorite driver in each series. What a ride it’s been so far! But you know what? That’s what makes being a NASCAR fan so fun. Around every turn awaits another reason for me to realize just why certain drivers will always be my racing heroes.

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The photos are from my personal collection.